1) Tell us a little bit about yourself. How did you get into writing?
I’m pretty sure I’ve been writing since birth. Ha! As a child, I used to cut photos out of magazines, glue them to blank paper and write stories about the pictures. But I don’t think I ever thought writing could be a career. Actually, I went in radio after college and spent a decade on the air and in production behind the scenes. When my first daughter was born, I quit my full time job to stay home with her. After a year, I wanted to find something I could do from home around her schedule and I’d always loved to write so that seemed like a good fit. I started writing novels and got into freelance writing and things have steamrolled from there.
2) What inspired you to write your book?
Reality shows are hilarious to me and I often wonder what they would be like with someone more like me on it. Someone who wouldn’t excel on TV! I like the put characters into situations that make the uncomfortable and watch things unfold. More often than not, they grow as a person and learn their true strength. I wanted to watch confidence grow, but I also wanted laughs so nothing goes right during any competition!
3) What theme or message do you hope readers will take away from your book?
That it’s okay to be who you are…whoever that is. Be strong and confident in your body and in your personality because you are who you are for a reason!
4) What drew you into this particular genre?
I think sleep deprivation, honestly! After you have kids, things just seem funnier. I got advice from an agent to try the romance genre and I couldn’t go straight romance, it had to be humorous!
5) If you could sit down with any character in your book, what would you ask them and why?
I think I’d want to talk with Grace, one of the side characters in the book. She’s a little spit fire and has a fascinating military background. I think I’d just want to know more about her, what makes her tick, and what inspires her to be such a strong person.
6) What social media site has been the most helpful in developing your readership?
Facebook because it’s the only one I do much with. 🙂 I do have a twitter account and I use it on occasion, but I can’t begin to understand that realm of social media.
7) What advice would you give to aspiring or just starting authors out there?
Write because you love it and everything else will fall into place. If you love to write, you can’t lose because you get something out of it yourself, whether someone else reads it or not!
8) What does the future hold in store for you? Any new books/projects on the horizon?
Next year, my youngest daughter will start kindergarten. So I hope to write more fiction at that time. Right now it’s hard with her around part of the week and my full time freelance writing business. But I have so many ideas floating around my head, it’s not even funny! Well, hopefully it will be, if I keep up with romantic comedy… 🙂
@authorbrookew